Operation Archery

Operation Archery (27 December 1941) was a British commando raid launched against German-occupied Norway in late 1941. The British attempted to probe German defenses and tie down German troops in the north, blowing up the fish oil factory and coastal defenses before the commandos withdrew. The British and Norwegian forces faced resistance from a resting gebirgsjaeger unit that had been withdrawn from the Russian front, facing stiff resistance. The Allies nevertheless managed to destroy some German installations and some German ships, and Adolf Hitler was persuaded to send 30,000 more troops to Norway, expecting a British invasion of Norway to put pressure on Sweden and Finland. The raid was one of many commando raids launched on occupied Norway during the war.